By Mel Cooke, Freelance Writer WESTERN BUREAU:
TEN YEARS after writers from the Diaspora converged on Toronto, Canada, for the first staging, the second 'International Dub Fest' is set for June 2004.
An International Dub Fest will again be held in Toronto from June 4 - 6.
Michael St. George, a Jamaican poet who lives in Canada and has just released the album Dubbin' De Vibes, said the festival will comprise workshops, a family day, main performances and panel discussions, as well as presentations on topics such as dub poetry in academia.
He said that there are still active poets who participated in the first festival. He named Cherry Natural, Nabbie Natural, Mutabaruka, Oku Onura and himself among them.
The festival is being organised by a dub poetry collective in Canada, which includes Lillian Allen, Durmia Broox, Aua Cooper, Clifton Joseph and St. George himself.
DEEP ROOTS
He noted that dub poetry has deep roots in Canada, going back to the 1970s.
"Poetry has made inroads and even reggae, although there has not been a lot of industry support," St. George said. He noted that with the spoken work becoming more and more popular in general, reggae and dub poetry have also been given a boost.
"Once again people are looking for substance. The current political climate and social conditions across the globe call for that," St. George said.
He described a vibrant poetry scene in Canada, with a number of venues which have poetry on set nights, as well as annual events. In addition, since February there has been a programme on the CBC television station, broadcast nationwide, called 'World Beat'. Hosted by Lillian Allen, the programme has featured many poets, as well as persons St. George called "relatives of the form."
"It covers the Diaspora, so blues, jazz and hip-hop have been featured as well," St. George said.
There is, however, no awards show. "That's one thing I am looking forward to," he said.
"There are not many awards shows that give credence to Black art in general. Or if you do have them you have a token category," he said.
There are sufficient studios, though, and poets such as Dwayne Morgan (who performed in Jamaica last year), Debi Young, Peculiar I and Afua Cooper have released albums recently.
In terms of books, St. George noted that Lillian Allen did one recently with his last, Nightspin, coming in 2001.
